Interrelationships among attitudes toward and practice of nutrition and health were determined from results of 335 responses to a survey mailed to members of a prepaid health plan in Portland, Oregon, in the Spring of 1981. The scales used to test attitudes included Subjective Index of General Well-Being, Health Locus of Control and the attitude "nutrition is important". Nutrition practices were determined from a one-day food record analyzed using Pennington's index nutrients. Health practices, including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, hours of sleep, body weight in relation to standards and meal frequency, were analyzed to form a health practice score. Demographic characteristics of the population, including sex, age, marital status, employment status, education and income, were determined and correlated with all attitudes and practices. Interrelationships were tested using Pearson r and Chi-square correlations and multiple regression analysis. The population studied was characterized as married, employed, well educated and middle income. They felt well and in control of their health. Approximately 52 percent practiced several desirable health practices, about 90 percent had a positive attitude toward nutrition and only 22 percent scored above at least 66 percent of Dietary Nutrient Score considered adequate for adults while 33 percent had diets which did not meet 50 percent of this score. This study using members of a prepaid health plan supports the existing literature. Nutrition attitude, "nutrition is important," is correlated to nutrient intake. Health attitudes, general well-being and health locus of control, were correlated to health practices. In this study correlations among general well-being, health locus of control, nutrition attitude, health practices and nutrition practices were noted, however the correlations were not large enough to be predictive. Further study is recommended to define and develop these relationships. / Graduation date: 1982

This study contributes to a growing body of knowledge about diet and about exercise behaviors of young adults. This information is needed if we are to plan public health campaigns designed to reduce the risk of chronic disease through more healthful eating habits and a more active lifestyle. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 18-24 year old Oregonians. It included questions about factors influencing food choices, exercise behavior questions, and a food frequency questionnaire. The final sample of 57 exercisers and 70 non-exercisers was examined for differences in opinion about the healthfulness of specific foods, relatedness between opinions and consumption of these foods, and general adequacy of dietary intake. Factor analysis demonstrated a relationship between the constructs "not fattening/fattening" and "good for my health/not good for my health", which we called the "healthfulness" factor and examined further. Opinion about the healthfulness of 20 foods was evaluated. Exercisers were similar to non-exercisers, and in general did not have stronger opinions about the healthfulness of certain foods than the non-exercisers. There were more differences among exercisers stratified by those exercising more frequently, and those exercising less frequently. Consumption of most foods was not related to opinions about the healthfulness of the food for exercisers or nonexercisers. It may be that opinions about the healthfulness of a food, influence a young adult's consumption of that food, but only for foods not considered very tasty. Neither exercisers nor non-exercisers had dietary intakes which compared well with Food Guide Pyramid minimum recommendations, although exercisers did come closer to eating 2 fruits per day than did non-exercisers. For other food groups the trend was for more exercisers to meet the minimum recommendations than non-exercisers, and more males to meet the minimum intakes than females. Overall, consumption of the meat/meat alternate group was closest to recommendations, followed by fruits, grains, dairy, and vegetables. Both groups rated highly the importance of eating nutritious foods, while exercisers felt more confident in their ability to read nutrition labels. Young adults perceive time to be their scarcest resource in matters of food consumption. / Graduation date: 1996

This study is intended to provide information about the situation of first-generation Vietnamese women to the IRCO Parent and Child Program Department in Portland, Oregon. Nutrition intervention and food assistance currently offered to Vietnamese women enrolled in this program is the focus of the study. The women interviewed characterize themselves and their eating patterns as Vietnamese, though many changes in practice and concept reflect those of American culture. The study reveals several categories of food acculturation that act both separately and influence the development of each other. These categories are diet, taste, solutions, and concepts. Recommendations are made according to the categories and process of acculturation demonstrated by the participating women and the effects of this process on the health of the women and their families. / Graduation date: 2004

The study of food and foodways is a field that has until quite recently mostly been neglected as a field of history despite the importance that food plays in culture and as a necessity for life. The study of immigrant foodways and the mixing of and hybridization of foods and foodways that result has been studied even less, although one person has done extensive research on Western influences on the foodways of Japan since 1853. This paper is an attempt to study the how and in what forms the foodways of America-and in particular of Oregon-changed with the arrival of Japanese immigrants beginning in the late-nineteenth century, and how the foodways of the first generation immigrant Japanese-the Issei-did and did not change after their arrival. In a broad sense, this is a study of globalization during an era when globalization was still a slow and uneven process and there were still significant differences between the foodways of America and Japan.